New Shows 2017

There’ve been a lot of shows so far in 2017 and I haven’t seen them all, not to mention the ones that have yet to come out, but I’ve seen a few. If you’re looking for a new show to watch, you’re in luck because I’m going to tell you about a few of the shows I think are worth watching.

Powerless

Longline: An annoyingly cheerful woman is hired as the team leader of a group of creative but unenthusiastic misfits who invent things for use in a world of superheroes and villains.

It’s not for everybody. This show uses a style of comedy reminiscent of sitcoms, but isn’t so old-fashioned as to have three-walled sets and cringeworthy laughing tracks. It’s a light and colourful comedy that piggybacks on the popular superhero trend, but approaches it from a different angle. Sometimes I feel like it doesn’t go anywhere and therefore will get tiresome quickly. Other times a good, lighthearted, predictable show is exactly what I want to numb my brain with.

Imposters

Logline: The aftermath of a marriage wherein the bride is actually a con artist who leaves with everything and the groom joins forces with her past victims to hunt her down.

This is a good show. It’s modern, with great performances and great writing. There’s a good balance of comedy and drama and the stakes are very real. It isn’t very predictable, but the twists and surprises aren’t unbelievable either. It’s well-balanced, and I love it. The only area in which it could improve its balance is in its casting of minorities. In my opinion, except in the case of having race-specific characters, diversity is no longer to be commended, but instead to be expected.

Riverdale

Logline: A small town, Riverdale, is reeling after the murder of a popular teenage boy, and the local teenagers become entangled in the mystery of what happened and who killed him.

This show is based on the largely popular Archie comics, but with a few exceptions, the show is not much like the comics at all. It’s a lot darker and has a more drama. It’s good, and if you’re a fan of suspense, this is one for you. However, despite the differences, the show does suffer from one quality it inherited from the comics. It’s main character, Archie Andrews, is boring. Worse, he’s passive. He doesn’t really do anything and his issues, which the show tries so hard to make a big deal of, are dwarfed by the issues of the other characters. If you can stomach him, the rest of the show is an interesting watch.

13 Reasons Why

Logline: Teenager Clay receives tapes on which his former love, Hannah Baker, recorded the thirteen reasons–or rather, people–who led her to commit suicide, and he is one of them.

I know everybody is talking about this show right now, and sometimes popularity is a big turn off, but I want you to forget all of that. Yes, it’s based on a YA book of the same title. I’ve read the book. The show is better. I had the fortune of watching the show before I heard anyone else’s opinion. It helped that I finished the entire thing in three days. Literally, I finished the final episode, looked at the clock, and it was fucking 6:37 in the fucking morning. There’s not a lot of humour in it, but it’s a good story well told. The suspense and drama will keep you wanting more–and you can have more because Netflix, brilliant Netflix, releases their shows an entire season at a time. So go ahead. Devour.

Edit: I am by no means an expert in mental health, but from what I’ve heard, 13 Reasons Why would not be a good choice for anyone struggling with self-harm or suicidal thoughts.

If you’ve seen any of the shows on this list, what did you think of them? Do you agree or disagree with my opinions? I want to know! We can start a conversation, or better yet, a debate, in the comment section below.

P.S. I’m pretty proud of myself right now because every single logline here is one sentence of thirty words. I just wanted to point that out. Here’s a challenge: Pitch me a show you think I should watch in thirty words or less.